Transport and bioavailability of U and co-occurring metals in nanoparticulate matter on tribal lands affected by mining legacy

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PROJECT 2 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECT 2 – ESE Particulate (ESE PM) - PROJECT SUMMARY Abandoned uranium mines (AUM) situated on the tribal lands of the Navajo Nation and Laguna pueblo represent a major source of environmental contamination that threatens public health as a result of mobilization of toxic metals mixtures bearing uranium (U), vanadium (V), copper (Cu), arsenic (As). The transport of toxic metals mixtures into the air in nanoparticulate form, and the subsequent potential for inhalational and ingestion exposures, has never been investigated in a rigorous manner. The proposed research will investigate the potential exposure hazards to toxic metals mixtures in nanoparticulates resulting from inhalation and ingestion via contaminated agricultural crops from AUM sites located on Navajo Nation and Laguna Pueblo tribal lands in Arizona and New Mexico. The project will address the two specific aims: 1) Understanding the physicochemical characteristics and distribution of metals mixtures in a range of environmental samples, including mine wastes, soils (agricultural and background) and airborne particulates around AUM and modelling their transport and deposition by wind into neighboring communities; 2) Assessing the uptake of metals into plants on agricultural soils adjacent to abandoned mine sites to understand if airborne metals-bearing particulates present a potential exposure risk. and 3) understanding the mechanisms of particulate assimilation into agricultural crops through their root and folial system through experimental stDeveloping a process model for the resuspension and transport of metal-bearing PM from AUM sites to estimate exposure risks for nearby vulnerable communities. For the process model, we will a) ascertain the particle size distributions and mineralogic characteristics of metal-bearing PM originating from AUM sites and the exposure potential to vulnerable populations living in the regional airshed under varied meteorological conditions; and b) conduct source-receptor modeling for the region, integrating information from three performance sites and deriving long-term estimates for Navajo community members. The proposed research will utilize state-of-the-art monitoring, chemical, imaging and atmospheric modeling techniques to provide a comprehensive dataset on the concentrations, speciation, valence, solubility, etc., of ultrafine-grained PM nanoparticle scale that are essential to evaluate the potential toxicity and inhalation exposure risk for PM. The results will reduce uncertainty regarding the metal content, exposure concentrations, and sources of AUM- related PM exposures in risk reduction strategies.